Garnished with flower petals…
I first tried this wonderful cocktail at Arnaud’s French 75 bar in New Orleans. It was on special and looked delicious so I had to give it a try. I have never seen a recipe for it, so here is mine. The Empress is a variation on the traditional Southside Gin Cocktail, but with a little twist in terms of how it is sweetened. Instead of just simple syrup, a Honeydew Melon Cordial is used.
Ingredients
2 oz of your favorite gin. Hendricks works great in this cocktail
1 oz lime juice, preferably fresh squeezed
1.5 oz Honeydew Cordial (see below for details)
1 healthy sprig of mint
1 fresh mint leaf for garnish
Honeydew Cordial
1 Honeydew Melon
Simple Syrup
Preparation
Let’s make the Honeydew Cordial first.
Basically, slice up honeydew melon stick it in a blender, puree, then add simple syrup to increase the level about 50%. Pulse the blender again to combine the simple syrup and honeydew puree.
Now you’re ready to make the cocktail. Put the mint sprig in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Muddle. Add ice. Add the remaining ingredients, shake, and pour the cocktail. Garnish with the mint leaf.
At Arnaud’s they garnished with violet flower petals which made a very pretty accent.